Category: News

Public Discussion on Keweenaw Geoheritage

Today, June 22, 2016, several geoscientists will host a public discussion about the Keweenaw Geoheritage Project. The event begins with a wine and cheese reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the presentation at 7 p.m. at the Quincy Mine Hoist.

Two special guests will speak to options available for increasing awareness and economic and educational opportunities for the Keweenaw.

They are: Thomas Casadevall, the United State Geological Services chair of the U.S. National Committee for Geoparks, and Cecile Olive, project manager for the Puys de Dome and the Limagne Fault World Heritage Project in France.

The project is led by Bill Rose (GMES) and Erika Vye.

Read more at Tech Today, by Allison Mills.

Alumni Scholar Medal for Jackie Huntoon

Jackie Huntoon
Jackie Huntoon

Provost Honored with Penn State’s Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal

Provost Jackie Huntoon has received the Charles L. Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal from Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS). She was presented with the award at the college’s annual spring Wilson Awards Banquet.

“I am very honored to receive this award,” said Huntoon. “I feel particularly fortunate for having been able to meet Dr. Hosler at the Wilson Banquet and learn more about his life and achievements.”

Huntoon earned her doctorate in geology from Penn State in 1990.

Read more at Tech Today, by Jenn Donovan.

Menominee Crack Research in Discover Magazine

Menominee Crack
Menominee Crack, copyright Wayne Pennington, Michigan Tech.

Discover magazine published an article about Dean Wayne Pennington’s (COE) research on the Menominee Crack, a strange geological disruption known as a pop-up.

From Tech Today.

Major geologic transformations don’t usually happen in real time without explanation — especially in seismically quiet areas like the Upper Midwest. So, when Michigan Technological University geophysicist Wayne Pennington saw reports about a crack the length of a football field suddenly appearing in some swamp and woods in the northern area of the state’s Upper Peninsula, he assumed it was a small landslide.

Read more at Discover, by Steven Potter.

Third annual Keweenaw Geoheritage Tours to be July 25-28, 2016

GeoTours MapHOUGHTON — The Keweenaw Peninsula is a place of natural beauty with a fascinating mining history. Join local experts Bill Rose and Erika Vye in reading the landscape to learn how the Copper Country came to be the way it is today. In July Erika and Bill will lead one-day field trips exploring one of four major events in Earth’s history that make up the geology of the Keweenaw — Lavas, the Keweenaw Fault, the Jacobsville Sandstone, and Copper Mining Waste.

Read more at Keweenaw Now.

Burkwald Awarded Copper Club Scholarship

Cory Burkwald, a third-year Geology major, has been chosen to receive a Copper Club scholarship. The $10,000 award is for the 2016-17 school year.

Burkwald, a Naperville, Illinois native, also participates on Michigan Tech’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams.

Headquartered in New York City, the Copper Club Inc. is a leading organization for networking, educational grants and events for those who support the copper industry.

In a letter informing Burkwald of his scholarship, Andrew G. Kireta, Sr., executive director of the Copper Club, said, “through this program, the copper industry identifies and recognizes exceptional individuals who have excelled in the study of mining and metallurgy.”

Burkwald is Michigan Tech’s first recipient of a Copper Club Scholarship in the 20-year history of the award.

From Tech Today, by Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences.

Bornhorst Publishes on Hydrothermal Native Copper

Ted Bornhorst, executive director A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum and professor, is co-author of a paper recently published by the international journal Economic Geology. The publication is a result of collaboration with Dr. Kei Ikehata of University of Tsukuba, Japan who is first author of the paper. The paper is titled “Hydrothermal Native Copper in Ocean Island Alkali Basalt from the Mineoka Belt, Boso Peninsula, Japan.” Additional co-authors are K. Chida and T. Tsunogae both at University of Tsukuba.

From Tech Today.

Bornhorst Attends Meeting of the Institute on Lake Superior Geology

Ted Bornhorst, executive director and professor, A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum recently attended the 62nd annual meeting of the Institute on Lake Superior Geology held in Duluth, Minnesota. The Institute includes geologic field trips as well as two days of technical presentations and posters. He served on the board of directors at its annual meeting. The 63rd annual meeting will be held in Wawa, Ontario and Bornhorst will be co-chair along with two Canadian colleagues.

From Tech Today.

Keweenaw Geoheritage Field/Boat Trips: July 2016

This is the third year of one day geotours of Michigan’s Keweenaw based on four of the five Geoelements of Keweenaw Geoheritage. These tours use ground and boat transportation and visit some of the most scenic and important geological spots in the Keweenaw.

We use the University’s research vessel Agassiz. Individual trips include “Lavas and the Keweenaw Rift,” “The Keweenaw Fault,” “Jacobsville Sandstone” and “Mining Wastes of Lake Superior.” The trips are led by Bill Rose and Erika Vye, from Michigan Tech’s Geological Engineering department.

Details of these trips are described online. They feature places that can best be seen by boat. There are only 17 spaces on each trip — sign up early.

From Tech Today, by Bill Rose, GMES.